National Colloquium Features CSU Leaders

On October 5-6, Chancellor Reed, several presidents, and CSU Board of Trustees member, Debra Farar, participated in Campus Compact’s Presidential Leadership Colloquium. Over 100 leaders, primarily from higher education, weighed in on the meeting’s theme: “How Do We Build a More Perfect Union? Asserting Higher Education’s Civic Role.”

Dr. Reed provided opening remarks on why civic engagement and service learning are critical in the CSU, even in difficult economic times. Most of the CSU presidents in attendance led sessions about national initiatives and strategies for making a public case for civic engagement. As part of the meeting, The Campaign for Civic Learning in College was launched with the goal of finding “solutions to the national crisis of growing disenchantment with politics among college students.” As the CSU examines this topic, we will work with Campus Compact to share our promising practices and our lessons learned.

Community partners are vital in the design and implementation of quality service-learning experiences. The highlights below illustrate the reciprocal benefits of community-university partnerships:

• Twenty community representatives and faculty participated in a free grantwriting workshop sponsored by Cal Poly, Pomona’s Center for Community Service-Learning. As a result of the gathering, faculty increased their awareness about community issues, and community partners felt more comfortable working with faculty.

• CSU Monterey Bay’s definition of “community” expanded this year, as it kicked-off the new academic year by involving local community members. During a panel discussion, community partners shared their success stories as well as their challenges in partnering with the university. Seth Pollack, director of the campus’s service-learning program, reflected on this dialogue and said, “[it] was a refreshing reminder of the potential power and heightened responsibilities that are part of CSUMB’s emerging role as a ‘community-engaged campus.'"

• In September, CSU Fresno hosted a conference on "Living Well in America" to explore how the university and the community can support over 3,000 new Hmong residents in the Central Valley. Campuswide civic engagement efforts are currently being planned in hopes to promote acceptance of the new families and assist them toward the road to success. Two upcoming projects include health forums that cover nutrition and hygiene issues and a play that reflects Hmong values.